Action for upright pianos.



PATENTED JUNE '16, 1903..

E. BORNHOEFT. ACTION FOR UPRIGHT PIANOS. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 16, 1903.

I0 MODEL.

UN TED STATES Patented June 16, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE' EDWARD BORNHOEFT, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO DAVID H. SCHMIDT, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ACTION FOR UPRIGHT PIANOS.

SIEEGIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 730,866, dated June 16, 1903.

Application filed March 16, 1903.

To all whmn it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD BoRNHoEET, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York city, Bronx, county of New York, and State of New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Actions for Upright Pianos, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved action for upright pianos of the class in which the reach of the action is increased upon the depression of the soft pedal, so as to avoid the formation of an objectionable gap between the jack and the hammer-butt. By my invention this increase in the reach is effected by a slide movably secured to the abstract and having a rearwardly extending foot which projects between the base 'of the abstract and the capstan. The slide is readily accessible, may be easily adjusted, and is constructed to effect a noiseless and positive operation of the parts.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side view of an upright-piano action embodying my invention and showing the parts in their normal position. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the position of the parts when the soft pedal is'depressed; Fig. 3, a detail side View of the slide and lower part of the abstract, showing the position of the parts when the soft pedal is depressed; and Fig. 4, a front View thereof.

The letter or represents the key of an upright-piano action.

I) is'the capstan; c, the abstract; cl, the wippen; 6, the jack, and f the hammer.

The hammer-rail g is engaged by a lifter g, actuated by the soft pedal, (not sho'wn,) so that the hammer-rail is swung up by the depression of said pedal, and the hammer is thus brought nearer to the string in the usual manner. The raising of the hammer-rail will likewise raise the hammer-butt f, and thus form an objectionable gap between the latter and the upper edge of the jack unless the jackiscorrespondinglyraised. Myimproved means for raising the jack are as follows: To the lower end of the abstract 0 there is secured at the front thereof a sliding plate 71, having a longitudinal slot h. This slot is engaged by a pair of cushioned set-screws *6,

Serial No. 1d'7,918. (No model.)

which connect the slide to the abstract and permit the frictional contact between the parts to be regulated. The lower end of the slide 7t is turned backward at right angles to form a flange or foot W. This foot extends directly beneath the abstract 0 and between the latter and the capstan. The foot 72/ is embraced bya flexible endless bandj, to the lower side of which is glued a cushion 7c,which forms the bearing for the capstan and effects a noiseless and gentle operation. To hold the endless band j to the foot 71 the rear edge of the latter is slightly turned upward or flanged, as at it To the front and bottom of the abstract 0 is secured a cushion c ,which is interposed between the abstract and the slide. The upper front edge of the slide 71 is turned downward to constitute a curved or hook-shaped bearing 72. for the front end of a two-armed lever Z. This lever passes through a slot 0' of abstract 0 and is fulcrumed at Z to rearwardly-extending cheeks c of the abstract. The rear arm of lever Z is engaged by a horizontal rod on, extending along the back of the entire action and having rearwardly-projecting arms 1n turning in fixed bearings on. At its front the rod m has an arm m which is connected to the hammerrail g by a bar a.

The operation is as follows: When the soft pedal is raised and the parts are in their normal position, Fig. 1, the hammer-rail g, and consequently the rod m, are in their lowermost position. Thus the front end of the lever Z will not influence slide it, and the latter remains raised, with its foot 7z in contact with the cushion c on the bottom of the abstract c. When the soft pedal is depressed, it will raise the hammer-rail g, and consequently by bar n the rod m, Fig. 2. This rod will tilt lever Z, so that the front arm of the latter is swung down to depress slide 7t and cause the lower end of .the latter to be projected a distance below the abstract which is proportionate to the upward movement of the hammer-rail. Thus the abstract and the jack are raised and the formation of any gap between the latter and the hammer-butt is avoided.

WVhat I claim is- 1. In an upright-piano action, the combina- IOC tion of an abstract, with a slotted slide having a rearwardly-extending foot, set-screws for inovably securing the slide to the front of the abstract, and means for depressing the slide upon the depression of the soft pedal, substantially as specified.

2. In an upright-piano action, the combination of a slotted abstract, with a slotted slide having a rearWardly-extending foot, means for movably securing the slide to the abstract, a lever projecting through the abstract-slot, a rod engaging the lever, ahamrner-rail, and a bar for connecting said rail to said rod, substantially as specified.

3. In an upright-piano action, the combination of a slotted abstract having rearwardlyextending cheeks, with aslotted slide having a rearwardly-extending foot, set-screws for securing the slide to the abstract, a lever pivoted t0 the abstract-cheeks and projecting through the abstract-slot, a rod engaging the lever, a hammer-rail, and a bar for connecting said rail to said rod, substantially as specified.

4. In an upright-piano action, the combination of an abstract, with a slide thereon having a rearwardly-extending foot, an endless band encircling the foot, and a cushion secured to the band, substantially as specified.

5. In an upright-piano action, the combination of an abstract, with a slotted slide thereon having a downwardly-curved upper end, and a rearwardly-projecting foot, substantially as specified.

.6. In an upright-piano action, the combination of an abstract, With a slotted slide thereon having a downwardly-curved upper end, a rearwardly-projecting flanged foot, an endless band embracing the foot, and a cushion secured to the band, substantially as specified.

Signed by me at New York city, (Manhattan,) New York, this 14th day of March, 1903.

EDl/VARD BORNHOEFT.

Witnesses:

FRANK v. BRIESEN, EDWARD RAY. 

